Lithuanian historical studies 16 2011 ISSN 1392-2343 pp. 175 182 ANNOTATIONS E. Saviščevas, Žemaitijos savivalda ir valdžios elitas 1409 1566 metais [Žemaitijan Autonomy and the Governing Elite, 1409 1566], (Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 2010). Pp. 461. ISBN 978 9955 33 547 4 This study is a social history of the Žemaitijan governing elite in the early 15th mid-16th century in relation to the duchy s system of administration, constitution and social functionality. The author establishes the dynamics of Žemaitijan autonomy, noting how the local nobility influenced life in the region and was integrated into the social structure of the GDL as a whole. The monograph consists of five chapters, namely Evolution of Origin Structures of the Žemaitijan Nobility in the 15th-16th Centuries ; From Tribal to Regional Society: the development of Žemaitijan Governing Structures, 1409 1566 (the transformation of regional governing structures, 1409 42, the nature and evolution of the Žemaitijan Charters, the period of Kęsgailan domination, 1442 1527 and the shift of the Žemaitijan nobility towards class autonomy in 1527 66); Composition of the Žemaitijan Governing Elite, 1409 1566 (lengths of tenure, the nature of individual careers, matrimonial traditions); in Functionality of the Žemaitijan Governing Elite: the character of Elite Lifestyle, the focus shifts to features of everyday life (clothing, estate furnishings and interiors, farming methods and household organisation), issues related to military service and the influence of formal as well as informal factors on the grouping and consolidation of the elite. The study contains conclusions in Lithuanian and English. A significant part of the work (pp. 282 412) is made up of addenda, including lists of starostas.
176 annotations Žemaitijos žemės privilegijos XV XVII a. = Privilegia terrestria Samogitiensia saec. XV XVII [Žemaitijan Land Charters in the 15th 17th Century], Historiae Lituaniae fontes minores, VI, ed. D. Antanavičius, E. Saviščevas (Vilnius: Versus aureus, 2010). Pp. 104. ISBN 978 34 295 3. The publication contains documents in Latin, Ruthenian and Polish, including three charters issued to the Žemaitijan nobility and translations of part of the documents into the Lithuanian language, exhaustive inventories and archival registers and indices of personal and place names. Documents presented in the collection reveal the legal basis for the autonomy of the Žemaitijan nobility and its evolution. The preface dwells extensively on Žemaitijan society and its regional charters. The compilers note that the tradition of regional charters in history is frequently understood as proof of the federal nature of the state, which in the last decades has been questioned with increasing intensity and has undergone various interpretations by scholars representing different countries, namely Russia, Ukraine and Poland. Thus the compilers consider it useful to return to the primary sources defining the constituents of problematic large structures. The main aim of the work is to introduce a full collection of regional charters for Žemaitija which would facilitate inquiry into the whole tradition of the operation of the said charters rather than the analysis of individual ones. Another question to be considered is Žemaitijan autonomy within the Lithuanian state in the 13th 16th centuries. The authors point out that this is yet another cliché, and the search for a more explicit definition of the development of autonomy is still in progress. It is obvious that data related to the history of Žemaitija in the 17th 18th centuries are insufficient, thus impeding the characterisation of the fate of the region s autonomy. Vilniaus burmistro Luko Markovičiaus Mundijaus kalbos, laiškai ir kiti raštai (1551 1584 m.) [Speeches, Letters and other Writings of the Burgomaster of Vilnius Lucasz Markowicz Mundius (in the years 1551 1584)], comp. A. Ragauskas, R. Ragauskienė (Vilnius: Vilniaus pedagoginio universiteto leidykla, 2010). Pp. 223. ISBN 978 9955 20 505 0 This publication contains documents related to a particular conflict which escalated within the governing elite of the city of Vilnius around 1551 84. The warring sides were the Arian Burgomaster Lucasz Markowicz, nicknamed,mundius, and the municipal authorities. The elaborate preface (pp. xi lxix) includes a review of Markowicz s case in historiography
annotations 177 and history (here the compilers dwell extensively on the possible economic, political and religious reasons for the conflict, which for Markowicz resulted in the loss of property and exile, offer a glance at Markowicz s biography prior to 1551, his family and litigation with relatives on matters related to his parents devise and property, and finally review events of 1551 84), an introduction to the published documents and the principles of their publication, as well as lists of published documents, literature and source publications. Markowicz s case is presented in a fairly broad context of contemporary municipal law, city social life, case law and religious relations, and accompanied by portraits of the participants. It is really praiseworthy, as the reader is offered a colourful, multidimensional panorama of Vilnius in the second half of the 16th century, and the social elite of the period, with its interrelations, interactions, complicated intrigues and religious conflicts. The compilers of the book highlight not only the circumstance that part of the documents had not hitherto been published but also the fact that a case shedding light on the history of the Reformation in the GDL is a valuable historical source for the analysis of Vilnius townspeople and their elite leaders. It is closely related to other prominent figures of the period in question, namely the wójt of Vilnius Augustinas Rotundas Meleskis, the Vilnius palatines, Mikalojus Radvila Juodasis (Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black ) and Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis (Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Red ), Grand Duke Sigismund Augustus, and Duke Albrecht of Prussia, to name a few. The published texts presented in facsimiles (20 documents in total) are written in Latin, German, Ruthenian and Polish and accompanied by Lithuanian translations and notes. The book is supplemented with indices of place and personal names and summaries in English and Polish. Eligijus Raila, Ignotus Ignotas: Vilniaus vyskupas Ignotas Jokūbas Masalskis, [Ignotus Ignotas. Bishop Ignacy Jakub Massalski of Vilnius], (Vilnius: Aidai, 2010). Pp. 236 [1]. ISBN 978 9955 656 78 4 This study introduces readers to Bishop Ignacy Jakub Massalski of Vilnius one of the most prominent figures of the Enlightenment in the GDL. The bishop was among the first activists of the Age of Reason in Lithuania and Poland, and as part of the political elite he managed to impart the ideas of the Enlightenment to other social strata. Raila points out especially diverse and controversial opinions on Massalski s activities and personality well established in scholarship, which, the author believes, have had a strong influence on the historical consciousness. He says: The sequence of historical facts, events and processes, as well as their
178 annotations careful layering based on certain internal characteristics [ ], is a futile game if we do not isolate them from the person s environment. A separate personality is analysed to the extent to which it is viewed as a means of expressing important and decisive communal tendencies, the creator of new ideological programmes. Thus the author aims at presenting an extensive portrait of Massalski s personality and his activities by separating the following three segments political activities, educational activities and economical activities which serve as bases for the three parts of the monograph. The first part entitled I.J. Massalski s Political Activities: between Traditions and Reforms is the most extensive. It reviews concisely the hero s background, young days, education, political and ecclesiastical career, participation in the activities of the sejm and sejmiks, relationship with foreign diplomats and political figures (especially Russian politicians and the acceptance of their ambitions, which to a great extent undermined the bishop s reputation in the country), trips around Europe, and finally the bishop s execution. All the above-mentioned facts are presented in the broad context of the general situation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the period in question. Part Two: Massalski s Cultural Activities: the Fate of Educational Enlightenment, exposes the circulation of the bishop s cultural ideas, characterised by his particularly close relationship with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The author also pays attention to the bishop s activities during the Confederations, which were marked with a tint of political opportunism. In part three of the monograph I.J. Massalski s Economic Activities: the Configuration of Physiocracy in Lithuania the author introduces the search for new economic levers of state economic administration in Western Europe. The bishop s attempts to reform farming practically in his possessions and his contacts with various physiocrats are discussed. In addition, the chapter covers attempts to alter well-established farming methods, as well as attitudes and relationships with the peasantry made by other noblemen which unfortunately generally resulted in the discontent of estate administrators and resistance from the peasants. The author refrains from any kind of generalisations or conclusions, as if leaving the door open for further discussion, new hypotheses or assessments which might arise naturally after reading this interesting and rather exhaustive study.
annotations 179 L. Glemža, Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės miestų sąjūdis 1789 1792 metais [Urban Movements in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1789 1792] (Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, 2010). Pp. 264. ISBN 978 9955 12 632 4. This study reviews the socio-political movement of the GDL townspeople in the period from 1789 to 1792. The movement for the rights and liberties of townspeople which escalated in the period of the Four-Year Sejm united bigger towns already in possession of municipal rights, and the smaller ones which, based on the new legislation, were striving for the autonomous charters. No similar unity encompassing most Lithuanian towns had been observed in the preceding history of the country, thus scholars refer to the phenomenon as a movement, and this book makes an attempt to establish the reasons for and consequences of the exceptional phenomenon, the aspirations of the organisers of town reforms for and changes induced by the new legislation, as well as to define the numbers of participants. Beside the Preface, which offers a survey of historiography and source publications, the monograph consists of seven chapters of unequal scope: The GDL Towns on the Eve of the Reforms Introduced by the Four-Year Sejm, The GDL Townspeople in the Warsaw Meetings (1789 1791), The Status of Towns after the Constitution of May 3, Establishment of Municipal Self-Governance, The Striving of Small Towns for Self-Governance, Changes in Municipal Societies and The Fate of Reforms. The author begins with a concise introduction to the situation of the GDL s towns in the second half of the 18th century, where he highlights the fact that state government reforms also applicable to towns were slow, though they encouraged discussions and opened the ground for more radical changes. The focus shifts to the meetings of townspeople and an analysis of the nobility s opinion regarding town reform. The author believes that urban issues were not of primary importance to the GDL s nobility. True, supporters of the reforms had aspirations to strengthen towns as trade and manufacturing centres, and hoped that with the arrival of foreigners and the enhancement of townspeople s rights, not only towns but also the ranks of the defenders of statehood would get stronger. After describing three urban laws which came into effect in 1791 92, Glemža claims that the new legislation not only changed the status of towns in the country, but also revealed the rise of a new social power which established the class of townspeople as a solid social group. The author proceeds with an analysis of the subordination of towns to the Police Commission of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Court of Assessors of the GDL, the Treasury Committee and Civil Military Commissions. An inquiry into the establishment of municipal self-governance opens with a review of the division of towns into districts and the organisation of district meetings, proceeds with a coherent description of the spread of municipal self-gover-
180 annotations nance from state-owned to private and church-owned towns, and concludes with peripeteia related to the construction, renovation or maintenance of city halls one of the main attributes of a municipality in towns that possessed or acquired self-governance rights. The analysis of urban struggles for self-governance is followed by one of the most voluminous chapters of the book, dwelling on the changes in municipal society, and social as well as ethnic structure. The author not only bestows attention on the new townspeople representing the nobility and discusses municipal elections, but also reflects sensitively the rise of separate social groups, their interrelation, conflicts and co-existence. It is noteworthy that while analysing a rather short period of time, the author manages to offer his readers a larger picture of the epoch, positioning the towns movement in a broader context. Glemža maintains that even though the town reforms were repealed by the General Confederation of the GDL, supported by the Russian army, municipal self-governance cannot be viewed as a finite process. Powers put in motion in the course of the movement, and especially the activity and pro-activeness of townspeople, as highlighted by the author, opened the ground for the movement of townspeople, and served as a strong catalyst. I. Šenavičienė, Lietuvos katalikų dvasininkija 1863 metų sukilimo išvakarėse [Lithuanian Catholic Clergy on the Eve of the January Uprising] (Vilnius: Eugrimas, 2010). Pp. 350. ISBN 978 609 437 070 0 This monograph deals with an issue that hitherto has received very little attention from Lithuanian historians, and aims not only at analysing the behaviour of the Catholic clergy from Vilna, Grodno and Kovno gubernias on the eve of the January Uprising, but also at adjusting scholarly constructs related to the reasons for its participation in the revolt. The numerous archival documents used in the study (some hitherto unknown) enabled the author to assess the role of the clergy in the patriotic movement in the period in question afresh. The book consists of three chapters. The first one, entitled The Clergy of the Dioceses of Vilnius and Žemaitija in the Patriotic Movement, is the most voluminous. Here the author examines patriotic religious manifesta tions as a declaration of political will, the reaction of secular and ecclesiastical authorities to the said manifestations through various decrees, organised opposition activities, the clergy s bearing in the patriotic movement (and makes an attempt to classify it), punishments that clergymen were subjected to for the abovementioned activities, and the extent of the clergy s participation in the movement. In many cases, the author introduces a comparison of accumulated and generalised data with the activities of clergymen from the Kingdom of Poland in the period in question.
annotations 181 Similar structuring is observable in the second chapter, called The Clergy of the Diocese of Sejny in the Patriotic Movement, as well. Due to the shortage of materials related to the topics covered in this chapter and the focus on the clergy of the ethnic Lithuanian Transnemen region, the author confined her analysis to two key issues analogous to those discussed in the first chapter, namely patriotic religious manifestations as a declaration of political will, and organised opposition activities. In the closing paragraphs of the chapter, some information on the scale of the participation of clergymen from the Diocese of Sejny in the patriotic movement is provided. The third chapter, entitled Agitation: Language and Religion, is of a more general character. It dwells on the content of agitation materials in the Lithuanian and Belarusian languages, and its religious aspect on the eve of the uprising. Thus, the author strives to highlight the forms of peasants agitation, analyse the topics of agitation texts, and provide a comparison of texts aimed at different ethnic groups and the scale of religious rhetoric. The study is supplemented with addenda (containing the most important dates and an extensive list of names of clergymen from the Dioceses of Vilnius and Žemaitija related to political events of 1861 62, accompanied by a detailed reconstruction of the events), lists of source publications, literature and illustrations, an index of personal names, and summaries in English and Polish. A.L. Arbušauskaitė, Anšliusas ir Klaipėdos krašto gyventojai (1939 1944) [Klaipėda (Memel) Anschluss and the Population of the Region (1939 1944)], (Klaipėda: Klaipėdos universiteto leidykla, 2010). Pp. 311. ISBN 978 9955 18 545 1 This monograph delineates how and why the Republic of Lithuania lost the Klaipėda region in 1939, illustrating the plight of refugees from the region in Lithuania, disclosing the attitude of the new Nazi administration towards Lithuanians, analysing issues related to the question of citizenship of Lithuanians in Klaipėda, and assessing the influence of the Agreement on Resettlement, signed in early 1941, on the fate of the region s inhabitants. The work also depicts the creation of the free-port zone, and reasons for the failure of the idea. The monograph is supplemented amply with documents, and presents an analysis of hitherto unknown demographic statistics of 1938 42. More particular issues tackled in the research are also closely related to the policy pursued by Germany in the occupied Klaipėda region. The author aims at disclosing Nazi attitudes towards Lithuanians in the region.
182 annotations This empirical research is based on archival documents, interviews, stories told by the then inhabitants of Klaipėda region, etc. In addition to the preface, which offers an introduction to key concepts used in the book, and the Conclusion, the monograph consists of six chapters. The first chapter dwells on the general situation in the period from 1938 to 1939, the historical and political context. The second chapter, which covers the period from 22 March to 30 March 1939, analyses the activities of the Liquidation Committee, the evacuation of the Lithuanian army, the retreat of the border police and customs, interchange of the civil government, the liquidation of cultural and educational institutions, and the closure of schools and organisations in the region. The third chapter discusses the situation of the people who relocated from the region in question to Lithuania proper, whereas in the fourth chapter the author turns to a topic which hitherto has received little attention in Lithuanian historiography, namely the picture of the Klaipėda region as Memelgebiet, including an analysis of the administrative reorganisation, state of infrastructure and the issue of the free-port. In chapters five and six, the focus shifts to the situation of ordinary people in the region, depicting it through an analysis of the attitude of the new administration towards various ethnic groups, certain demographic characteristics of the region and the Agreement on Resettlement, which had a direct influence on the lives of a number of people. A significant part of the study consists of addenda (facsimiles of contemporary periodicals and documents, etc). The publication is illustrated amply with photographs, and contains lists of source publications and literature, an index of personal names and a summary in English.